The demand for faster and smaller microelectronic devices is driving continual shrinkage of microelectronic architectures. Such microelectronic architectures form the electronic circuits of semiconductor devices. Semiconductor devices are manufactured on silicon wafers using a process of adding layers and selectively removing parts of the layers. Semiconductor device features are created through this selective removal process. Upon the completion of the manufacturing process, the silicon wafers are cut into individual dies where each die includes at least one complete semiconductor device.
Individual dies are not typically directly integrated into electronic devices, such as, for example, cellular phones. Typically, the dies are first packaged. Thus, semiconductor devices may include connection-bumps which function to electrically couple the semiconductor device with its respective package. Once these connection-bumps have coupled a semiconductor device to a package, the packaged semiconductor device may be inserted into and used by an electronic device.
Included among the layers which comprise a semiconductor device is at least one layer of conductors, such as metal lines. Metal lines may be used within the semiconductor device to connect elements of the integrated circuit. For example, metal lines may carry electrical current to and from logic gates. Also, a power network for the semiconductor device may include metal lines. Due to the continued-shrinkage of microelectronic architectures, optimal semiconductor device operation depends upon optimal performance of each semiconductor feature. Thus, stable functionality of the metal lines contributes to optimal functionality of the semiconductor device. However, the connection-bumps which electrically couple a semiconductor device to a package may affect performance of the semiconductor device. In particular, the impedance of conductive device features can be affected by the presence and/or operation of connection-bumps. For example, a metal line traversing an area with a high connection-bump density may have impedance which differs significantly from that of a similar metal line traversing an area with a lower connection-bump density. Because varying line impedance can negatively affect semiconductor device performance, it is desirable to reduce such variation in line impedance. Therefore, a need exists for improved methods of configuring semiconductor devices, and improved semiconductor devices.